The term staff’s is the singular possessive form of staff. E.g., “The staff’s dedication is evident in their work.” Furthermore, staffs’ is the plural possessive version. E.g., “All departments’ achievements contribute to the staffs’ success.” Also staffs and staves are the two plural versions. E.g., “The staves are attending a training session.”
This table provides an overview of the different forms of the word staff.
| Form | Example |
| Singular | Staff |
| Plural | Staffs/ Staves |
| Singular possessive | Staff’s |
| Plural possessive | Staffs’ |
The following examples show how you can use the different forms in a sentence
- Singular: Each staff member plays a crucial role in the project.
- Plural: The staffs from various offices are collaborating on this initiative.
- Plural possessive: The staves from different organisation had a joint party to celebrate labour day
- Singular possessive: I appreciate the staff’s effort in maintaining a clean workspace.
- Plural possessive: The staffs’ commitment to excellence is commendable.
Keep reading to learn more about using the plural and possessive versions of the term staff.
Staff’s
The term staff’s is the singular possessive version of the word staff, referring to a group of employees. That means you use it to refer to something that one staff member or the entire staff collectively owns or possesses.
- The staff’s dedication is evident in their work.
- Each staff’s expertise is valued in our organization.
Staffs’
The term staffs’ is the plural possessive form of the word staff. That means you use it to indicate ownership or possession of something by more than one group of employees.
- All departments’ achievements contribute to the staffs’ success.
- The various staffs’ collaboration enhances our organizational capabilities.
But many people would use alternative phrases to avoid using the plural possessive for clarity.
- The collaboration of various staffs enhances our organisational capabilities
Staffs and Staves
The terms staffs and staves are the plural forms of the word staff. Consequently, you can use them to refer to multiple groups of employees, as long as the structure is not possessive.
- The staffs are attending a training session.
- Our company has different staves specializing in various areas.
Additionally, you can also use staffs to refer to a collective group of employees without specifying possession.Staffs from different branches will participate in the team-building event.